A few people have pointed out that BT as a company is bigger than BskyB, but thats not how Mr Murdock works. Upset one of his companies and he'll use the others to crush you. News Corp dwarfs BT, it a monster and im happy we've signed a deal with that devil over BT

Not sure about the BBC thing, its a strange one.

I'm reliably informed that from 2016 the only domestic game on FTA will be the Challenge Cup Final due to its protected list status.

SKy already show some CC games don't they?

The ones that the beeb does not want?

They hold the rights to those CC games, yes.

Last season, they chose not to exercise those rights by not televising them on several occasions.

Yes, they currently hold the rights to screen one 4th round game, one 5th round game and 2 QF's. They are secondary rights holders so the BBC get first pick.

It is often opined that [i"the devil is in the detail"[/i.

The more details which get drip-fed from this new TV deal with Sky, the more it appears to stink.

I've just got back from the Salford season media launch. I think it's fair to say that Koukash is on a similar page to Lenagan, but might be getting more column inches.

The very short notice appears to be there as the deal does not stand up to scrutiny. The £300k was the bait to hook clubs in with and the RFL landed them no trouble.
As Lenagan and pals have now found out. Once the deal has been scutinised it doesn't stand up. All told it's nowhere near as good as it seems.
This looks like a scam perpetrated by the RFL to extend their powerbase and nothing whatsoever to do with the good of the game long term.

It turns out that the £300k being paid to each SL club next week is not additional to the contract, but an advance payment against the sum agreed.

Bloody hell. Wrong-footed by Nigel Wood.

It helps having the Hetherington's in your corner

Koukash suggested that there was one club chairman in the room that seemed to know more about the deal than the rest...

That's not what has been suggested by ALL media, and I'd imagine one of the loudmouths would have called it out by now if that were the case.

It wouldn't be Hetherington by any chance?

Would it?

from what certain chairmen seem to be coming out with, you would expect that to be the same for almost any subject.

I understand why and that some chairmen aren’t happy with Nigel Wood, but they aren’t going to oust him with this strategy which seems to be ‘we don’t know whats going on, we cant make a decision, even we don’t trust ourselves to make the right decision, We have no alternative plans’.

Lenegan seems to have painted himself in to a corner of just criticising anything and everything even himself, and being generally negative. At least Koukash is throwing up alternatives, even if a few are a little out there